1966 Maserati Mexico (Vignale)

On the Vignale stand at the Salone di Torino in 1965 there appeared an original 2-door 4-seater prototype designed by Giovanni Michelotti mounted on a Maserati tubular chassis with a 4.9-litre V8 engine. This car had been commissioned by an important person. It is thought that as the 5000 GT was now out of production, this important client desiring such a car, commissioned Vignale to build one.

Its appearance at the Salone di Torino, was very well received, so much so that Maserati immediately made plans to put a version into limited production.

The production Mexico, designated Tipo AM112 by the factory, was a derivation of that original prototype, was first displayed at the Paris Motor Show a year later.

The Mexico was powered by a 4.7-litre V8 engine (slightly lower in capacity than that of the prototype) producing 290 bhp at 5000 rpm, this gave the car a top speed of between 240 and 250 kph (150-156 mph).

In 1969, contrary to Maserati tradition, the Mexico was also made available with a 'smaller' engine. This time the 4.2-litre V8 engine that powered the original Quattroporte 1a serie.

A magazine article at the time described the 2-door 4-seater Mexico thus:

"Maserati have added an elegant and prestigious creation to their range that is luxurious yet functional at the same time. It is fast, spacious, easy to handle and equipped with the same air conditioning system as the Quattroporte."

Apart from the smaller engine option the Mexico underwent few changes during its lifetime. Its luxurious interior included a rich leather seating for four adults, electric windows, wooden dashboard and air conditioniong as standard. Automatic transmission, power steering and a radio were available as optional extras. The 4.7-litre version was fitted with 650 x 15" Boranni chrome wire wheels and the 4.2-litre version with 'disc' wheels.

The Mexico was the first production Maserati to be fitted with servo assisted ventilated disc brakes on all four wheels.

Production of the Mexico between 1966 and 1973 totalled 482 not 250, one with the 4.9-litre engine, 305 4.2-litre versions and 175 4.7-litre versions.